on our broadcast tonight. what they knew and when they knew it and why they never told anybody. tonight the new and scathing new report about the penn state scandal by the former head of the fbi. and bob costas will be with us to talk about the fallout. nbc news exclusive, richard with those who lived an unimaginable day. tonight, an alert from doctors about propeca, serious side effects that could be permanent. and rock of ages. they've been playing hard since jfk was in the white house. tonight mick and keith and company take time to reflect on 50 years as the stones.

"nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. penn state may never ever recover from this. in case you had any doubt about the impact of the child sex abuse scandal that's enveloped one of the great names in college sports, today made it crystal clear when the report came out from louis freeh, former head of the fbi, saying some powerful campus leaders showed a total and consistent disregard for abuse victims while protecting other big names on campus versus the rights of powerless victims. it was another devastating day in state college, pennsylvania. before we hear from bob costas on the impact of all of this, we want to begin tonight with our national investigative correspondent michael. >> reporter: the 154-page report is scathing, finding top penn state officials showed a

shocking disregard for the victims of jerry sandusky. >> the most powerful men at penn state failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who sandusky victimized. >> reporter: freeh concluded top penn state officials repeatedly concealed facts from law enforcement and the public at large. who were they? graham spanier, the school's former president. tim curley, former athletic director. gary schultz, former vice president. all of them have denied wrongdoing. joe paterno, the legendary and revered football coach who died last january. >> there's more red flags here than you could count. >> reporter: several of more than 3 million e-mails and documents unearthed by freeh's investigators show paterno, contrary to his grand jury testimony, was informed and kept apprised of a 1998 police investigation of suspected child abuse by sandusky in the school's locker room shower. curley wrote in one e-mail to

spanier and schultz that he had touched base with paterno about the probe. and days later there was this follow-up -- anything new in this department? coach is anxious to know where it starts. the allegation was disturbing enough that schultz, who was in charge of the university police, wrote in private notes, is this opening of pandora's box? adding, other children? no charges were brought and university officials kept it quiet. >> nobody spoke to sandusky. not one of those four persons, including the coach, who was a few steps away from his office, no indication anybody spoke to him. >> reporter: when mike mcqueary tells paterno about seeing sandusky naked with a young boy in the shower, paterno responds, did you what you had to do. it's my job to figure out what i to do. according to freeh, they once again kept it secret. e-mails show schultz, spanier and curley agreed to report it

to child welfare and then curley writes in an e-mail, after talking it over with joe yesterday, i'm uncomfortable with what we agreed were the next steps. spanier signed off on not reporting the incident but agreed sandusky should seek professional help, calling that a humane approach. freeh also blamed the penn state trustees for poor oversight but today board members reacted soberly. >> our hearts remain heavy and we are deeply ashamed. an event like this can never happen again in the penn state university community. >> reporter: but it won't end there. lawyers for sandusky's victims said today freeh's report provides powerful new evidence for what is expected to be a flood of lawsuits. and on campus today, a painful reevaluation of the legacy of coach paterno. >> what has transpired has shown that joe's human. he's not the godly saint that

some of us made him out to be, including myself. >> reporter: brian, tonight a family spokesman issues a statement saying that joe paterno wasn't perfect. he made mistakes. and he regretted them. meanwhile, lawyers for curley and schultz criticized the freeh report, calling it a lopsided document based on an unfounded -- based on an incomplete record. brian? >> state college, pa, tonight, thanks. bob costas of nbc sports is already at our olympic headquarters in london preparing to host the olympic coverage on nbc. bob, the big question, i guess, is, what does this do to penn state, the program, the school, the brand, the aura of the nittany lions? >> well, the aura, the reputation, that's already been badly tarnished. i think even the most staunch loyalists realize something that can't be rationalized away

occurred here. and then outside penn state, the reputation of the university has taken a very, very serious hit. the ncaa has a term that it sometimes uses when punishing schools for violations in their athletic departments, lack of institutional control. if this doesn't mean the definition of lack of institutional control, nothing does. now the ncaa says it will step up its own investigation. so, in addition to all the criminal actions, the upcoming civil suits and everything else, you've got the very significant possibility that the ncaa will step in and deliver its own version of the death penalty, which is to suspend penn state's football program for a year or possibly more. that could happen. >> bob, what happens when we see the name penn state in years to come? do you think it ever, ever fully recovers from this? >> no, it can never fully recover. sadly, neither can the reputation of joe paterno. i don't think that what happened with sandusky invalidates all the good and worthy things joe

paterno did with much of his life, but now especially with louis freeh's report making it clear that at least in his view, joe paterno knew more and was in a position to do more than his defenders would like to have you believe. this is a serious blow to joe paterno's reputation. and even those inclined to give the benefit of the doubt would have to concede that. >> if this is a rock thrown into a pond and ripples coming out, does this wash up against other programs, other colleges, especially for those of us who college students in our families. it's so important to remember these aamateur athletes, these are kids. >> yeah, i think it does. if anything good has come out of this, it was such a sensational story, it played out on the national stage, i think it has increased awareness of this problem. it has put everybody on notice as to what the signs are and what you're supposed to do, how

you can't look the other way. how it's imperative, no matter where you stand on the pecking order, if you see something like this, have reason to suspect it, you've got to report it, you've got to act upon it. i don't think it's just colleges. it's youth sports programs, high schools and whatnot. many of them have changed their own procedures and policies and they're all on notice. that's the good that's come out of it. >> bob costas, who i'll add on this very day was nominated for an emmy award with coverage of this topic on "rock center." thank you for being with us tonight from london. >> thank you, brian. elsewhere in our country tonight, the countryside is burning up. it is official, it is the worth drought in a quarter century. we're in it and it's causing great damage to staple products. people depend on from the u.s. like corn. say nothing of livestock and property. nbc's janet is on the story in texas. >> reporter: a withering pasture in arkansas, reservoirs gone dry

and cracked earth seen throughout much of the nation. more than 1,000 counters have been declared national disaster areas. now blankets more than 60% of the lower 48 states. with some of the hottest months still ahead. >> when it comes to the big picture weather pattern, any significant changes to these drought-stricken areas, we're not going to see any improvements at least through the end of july. >> reporter: the impact culture is devastating. 30% of the crop is in poor or very poor condition. up from 22% the previous week. grazing grounds are barren. horsing ranchers buy feed for their hungry cattle or sell off their herd. >> we are a nation that eats a lot of beef. >> reporter: and uses a great deal of water. indianapolis residents are getting in one last soaking before a mandatory water ban starts tomorrow. there is rain, but it's out of

reach of the drought zone. flash floods pounded texas today, but forecasters say there's little chance it will reach those states so thirsty for relief. nbc news, houston. now to an nbc news exclusive. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel is just back from syria where he got a firsthand look at the aftermath of one of the worst massacres since the syrian uprising started. a massacre no one could verify until now. richard is with us in our studios. welcome. >> thank you. before we get to that, there are reports that just today there has been a new massacre with 150, perhaps 200 people killed. so, these massacres are, unfortunately, not rare. but what is rare is being able to verify them. not through anonymous internet video, but actually visiting the place and talking to survivors. that's what we did in one village. >> reporter: in the small

farming village in northwest syria, villagers say a terrible me massacre took place. antigovernment protests had just erupted in this area and syrian troops rolled in to stop them. cousins had defected from the syrian army and feared the troops would be looking for them. >> translator: when we saw the tanks, we thought that was it for us. >> reporter: so they fled to this steep narrow valley a few miles outside of town. it seems like a perfect hiding place. but it would become a death trap, they said, as other frightened villagers followed them. they thought they were safe. for the first few hours, they were. but then around 9:00 in the morning, syrian troops found them. they took up position here on the top of the valley and then pointed their guns down on the people taking refuge blow. he shows me how syrian troops

attacked. >> translator: they started firing on us with all kinds of weapons. >> reporter: firing from above, i ask? is. >> translator: yes, from above. we were surrounded from every side. there was no escape. >> reporter: some tried to surrender to government forces. >> translator: about 15 people gave themselves up. the troops tied their hands and killed them. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows bodies on the valley floor. some appear to be bound, shot execution-style. then they say syrian troops climbed down into the valley to finish off any survivors. >> translator: they were searching for people hiding behind rocks and killed them one by one. >> translator: the soldiers were 30 meters from us. they saw us covered with blood, thought we were dead and moved on. >> reporter: this couple's two sons were among the 127 bodies villagers counted in the valley. >> translator: people were piled on top of each other like sheep.

we moved them in trucks, all dead, he adds. more cell phone video shows bodies gathered in the village mosque before they were buried in a collective grape on the edge of town, evidence of what people here call a war crime. >> we're told it was an informant from the village who told the army that in that valley there were 128 men and boys hiding. and the army found them and started killing them. >> now this story can be told here. richard, thanks. we want to tell everybody, richard has another report tonight, containing more reporting we haven't seen from inside syria. that's airing tonight on "rock center" at 10:00/9:00 central on this nbc station. still ahead, millions of american men have been using it to cure baldness. the new warnings and the possible permanent risk it proposes. what's emerging as the first potential controversy of the olympic games. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news

starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ?

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health story. propecia made by merck and did $134 million in sales for them, but tonight new possible side effects. we get our report from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: propecia was originally approved by the fda for prostate problems with side effect of hair growth. so in 1997 fda approved it to treat baldness but a side effect is dysfunction. they now say the side effects could be permanent. >> i surveyed young, healthy young men no problems, no psychiatric problems, no use of prescription medicines, who took the medicine propecia for male pattern hair loss. >> reporter: the study involved

only 54 men but 96% experienced sexual dysfunction months after stopping medication. including low libido and erectile dysfunction. the fda ordered a change in the label to include the warning. but for kevin o'malley the warning wasn't enough. he took it for five months last year and experienced adverse side effects immediately. >> there were some warnings about sexual side effects and it would occur in less than 2% of men and the side effects would go away after i discontinued the drugs. i found out the hard way that isn't the case. >> this medicine is purely used for a cosmetic reason and has a very serious risk. >> reporter: in a statement to nbc news, merck says it believes a causal relationship between the use of propecia and continued sexual dysfunction after discontinuation of treatment has not been established. psychiatrists say this is not just a man's problem. >> when men are unable to

perform in bed, oftentimes it really rattles the woman's confidence. they feel he's not attracted to her. >> reporter: now men like kevin mally must decide whether a full head of hair is worth the risk of sexual dysfunction. >> it's important to underscore this medication, it can be used for men not only for cosmetic reasons but very importantly for men with a benign prostatic problems. you don't stop a medication without talking to your doctor, you don't take it without talking to your doctor. there's no medication that's risk-free. it may be a minor problem for some men. it can be 100% for others. >> glad we did this story, thank you for being with us. when we come back, what happened on the sun today and now the wait for the effects to arrive here on earth. ahhh, i love how clean and healthy my mouth is right now. i wish i could keep it this way. [ male announcer ] even after a dental cleaning... plaque quickly starts to grow back. but new crest pro-health clinical plaque control toothpaste can help.

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including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine last season was the gulf's best tourism season in years. in florida we had more suntans... in alabama we had more beautiful blooms... in mississippi we had more good times...

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an eruption on the surface of the sun. the effects are now traveling toward us at anywhere between 1 and 5 million miles an hour. at that rate it's between one and three days away from us. like other solar flares, it is likely to affect some communications. on the upside, it will likely make for those spectacular northern lights all over again. there will also be an attempt to keep spacecraft out of its way as this ball of energy heads toward earth. in our countdown to the 2012 olympics in london, cue the trumpets, the olympic torch started in the hands of retired american track star michael johnson, who took a ceremonial lap around stonehenge, as dawn broke. another stop in the 8,000-mile journey for the big opening ceremony, now just 15 days out. and already a controversy for the u.s. olympic team, two whole weeks before the game begins. it's about the uniforms.

they're snappy and snazzy, developed by ralph lauren. they're under fire because they found out they were made in china and that set off harry reid. >> i am so upset. that i think the olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves. i think they should be embarrassed. they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and purn them and start over again. >> a couple points here. are there better things for the senate to worry about like legislation? sure. but it is a minor pr problem prior to the game. the usoc for their part says they're happy to have a high-profile sponsor like ralph lauren. up here next tonight, they've done just about everything but gather moss. at the combined age of 272 years, ladies and gentlemen, the rolling stones celebrating their 50th anniversary. if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway...

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close to being reflective today. our report from michelle kosinski in london. >> reporter: it all began here in the london club, middle class teenagers with a passion for the blues. their first gig 50 years ago, for which they were paid about $50. >> we went down really well. everyone loved us. we could see, well, if it happenses to us on sunday in this sleepy, it could happen on tuesday. >> reporter: the rolling stones had a following and not long after, stardom. they played "the ed sullivan show," famously having to clean up their lyrics from "let's spend the night together" and eventually entertained full stadiums. they have sold hundreds of millions of records, played live than any other band in history, and still moving like this.

>> i'm still young. i know lots of people that can't even walk at my age. >> what a drag it is getting old. >> reporter: well, they somehow didn't. was there a point at which you could foresee or feel that you would be doing this forever basically? >> no, no, i didn't expect to make it. >> reporter: you say no, you say yes. >> reporter: another 50 years? >> yes, something like that. >> reporter: today they have a new book, an exhibit of photographs and plans to play live again soon. charlie, now 71. ronny, 65. keith, 68. mick, 69. ♪ i can't get no satisfaction >> reporter: did you get the satisfaction? >> oh, god, no, michelle. >> we're still looking for it. >> reporter: michelle kosinski,

nbc news, london. and on that note, that's our broadcast on a thursday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. later when we see you tonight for "rock center," what happened to some of those that have left the church of scientology. that is tonight on "rock center." of course, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening for the friday edition. good night, everybody.